One thing that Oklahoma has not been this season in dominant on the road. That was until Saturday night when the Sooners pasted a Baylor team that is bowl bound for the first time since the early 90's. Going into the game we said that the Bears would find success and that the Sooners would have to avoid giving up the big play and keep the Jay Finley/Robert Griffin duo in check. That's what they did!
On the week before their biggest road game of the season Oklahoma's defense was put in a bad spot the first time they came onto the field. Following a Landry Jones interception, Baylor set up shop on their own 46. The Sooner defense would hold the Bears to a three-and-out resulting in a Baylor punt. Two plays later Jones would hook up with DeMarco Murray for a 76-yard touchdown pass and the rout would be on.
| Start Time | Time Poss | Drive Began | # of Plays | Yards Gained | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:33 | 1:06 | BAY 46 | 3 | -1 | Punt |
| 9:45 | 2:06 | BAY 24 | 5 | 5 | - |
| 6:35 | 2:57 | BAY 20 | 6 | 8 | Punt |
| 1:18 | 1:49 | BAY 27 | 5 | 73 | TD |
The Sooners held the Bears to just 12 yards of offense on their first three drives while the Sooners would post 21 points during that span, essentially putting the game out of reach. Baylor's first big play finally came late in the first quarter when Jay Finley scampered 50 yards to set up their first touchdown of the night. However, by that time the defense had done its job and they would continue to do so throughout the rest of the half as Baylor's final three drives would only tally 46 total yards.
| Start Time | Time Poss | Drive Began | # of Plays | Yards Gained | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:56 | 1:46 | BAY 21 | 3 | 7 | Punt |
| 5:31 | 1:45 | BAY 21 | 3 | 4 | Punt |
| 0:54 | 0:54 | BAY 20 | 5 | 35 | End Half |
Baylor would find success in the second half, scoring 17 points but they entered the half trailing 34-7 and Oklahoma had clearly called off the dogs. The end result was Oklahoma's most dominating defensive performance on the road this season and Robert Griffin's lowest passing output of the season with just 124 yards and was picked twice.
| Start Time | Time Poss | Drive Began | # of Plays | Yards Gained | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14:55 | 0:42 | BAY 14 | 2 | -4 | Int |
| 14:13 | 1:14 | BAY 20 | 4 | 13 | Punt |
| 11:39 | 3:45 | BAY 21 | 9 | 52 | FG |
| 6:10 | 1:26 | BAY 6 | 3 | 3 | Punt |
| 1:33 | 4:26 | BAY 40 | 9 | 60 | TD |
| Start Time | Time Poss | Drive Began | # of Plays | Yards Gained | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:29 | 1:01 | BAY 48 | 4 | 52 | TD |
| 7:33 | 5:09 | BAY 21 | 13 | 31 | - |
If there is room to criticize Oklahoma's defense (which there's always room for criticism) it would be in the way of defending the run. The Bears gained 242 yards on the ground but over half of that (129 yards) came in the final two quarters when the game had already been decided.
Position Grades
Defensive Line, A - Jeremy Beal finished with five tackles and had one of Oklahoma's two sacks. R.J. Washington was able to get pressure in the backfield and had it been any quarterback other than Robert Griffin he would have tallied up at least one other sack himself. Ronnell Lewis pushes this group to an A with his pick 6.
Linebackers, B+ - Tom Wort led the linebackers with 8 tackles and also had a sack. For the most part this group played an excellent first half but could have been more disciplined in the second.
Secondary, A - Quintin Carter led the team in tackles with 10 and Tony Jefferson had a pick. Locked down on Baylor's receivers to hold the Bears to their lowest passing output of the season.